Lewis Hamilton managed to edge past his teammate Charles Leclerc to claim the fastest lap in the second practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix, underscoring Ferrari's dominance on the opening day of the weekend. After Leclerc had comfortably out‑paced Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Hamilton in the Friday morning free‑practice, the seven‑time world champion showed a marked improvement later in the day, shaving a half‑second off his earlier deficit to finish 0.158 seconds ahead of the Ferrari driver. The next closest challenger in the more representative second practice was reigning champion Lando Norris, who, driving an upgraded McLaren, was just under half a second slower than Hamilton.
Norris's performance highlighted the competitive gap that Ferrari currently enjoys at the Hungaroring, a circuit many analysts had predicted would suit the Italian team’s aerodynamic package. Speaking after his lap, Hamilton praised the overall quality of the day but acknowledged the tricky conditions.
"It was a solid day overall. The wind made things a bit tricky and the track felt quite bumpy in some places," he said.
He added that the car felt noticeably better in FP2 and that the team had made "good progress between the sessions," though he emphasized that there were still several areas that required refinement. "We'll go through all the data overnight, keep working on the balance and hopefully find a bit more performance for tomorrow," the Briton explained. Ferrari’s strong showing at the Hungaroring was not entirely unexpected; the layout, with its tight corners and short straights, has historically played to the strengths of their chassis.
However, the Italian squad will be further encouraged by the surprising difficulties encountered by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes team. Antonelli, who missed the first practice session as Mercedes fulfilled a rookie driver requirement, returned only to struggle, repeatedly running off the track due to rear‑wheel lock‑ups. The 19‑year‑old, who currently leads Hamilton by 45 points in the drivers' standings, posted a lap that placed him 13th, nearly two seconds off the pace. His teammate George Russell fared only marginally better, posting a time that left him in fifth place, roughly a full second slower than Hamilton despite running a fresh set of soft tyres on his flying lap.
Max Verstappen, who had topped the opening session, could only manage fourth place, trailing Hamilton by about 0.7 seconds, while his Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar slotted into sixth. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who also sat out the first session, delivered a disappointing eighth‑place effort, being out‑paced by Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson.
The gap between Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris may be explained by the Australian not yet having the full upgrade package installed on his car, a factor that could narrow as the weekend progresses. Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull still have time to extract additional performance before the final practice session scheduled for 11:30 am on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Ferrari have firmly established themselves as the team to beat heading into what is expected to be a crucial qualifying session at 3 pm, broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. The second practice session was briefly halted by a red flag that lasted nearly ten minutes after Franco Colapinto suffered a heavy crash at the entry to the final corner, bringing his Alpine to a stop. The incident added a further variable to the teams' data‑gathering efforts.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll was absent from the session after a suspension failure in the first practice, compounding the team's difficult season. Their planned 16‑part upgrade package was largely eclipsed by the mechanical issue, leaving the British driver unable to contribute valuable feedback. Fernando Alonso, driving for the team that fields a single working car, managed to show signs of progress in the second practice.
Despite finishing behind the two 2026 newcomers from Cadillac in 19th place, almost three seconds off the leaders, Alonso’s lap was a notable improvement. A faster lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, but the Spaniard noted after the session that the car felt "much better" and appeared to meet the team's expectations. Looking ahead, the schedule for the remainder of the weekend is packed.
Saturday, July 25, will feature an F3 sprint at 9 am, the final Hungarian GP practice at 11:30 am, followed by an F2 sprint at 1:10 pm, and the crucial qualifying session at 3 pm. Sunday, July 26, will host the F3 feature race, the Porsche Supercup, the F2 feature race, and the Grand Prix itself, which is slated to start at 2 pm. All sessions will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1, with the option to watch via NOW without a long‑term contract. In summary, Hamilton’s swift lap in FP2 not only gave him the top spot for the day but also signaled that the Mercedes‑Ferrari rivalry remains intense, especially as Ferrari continues to extract maximum performance from their car on a track that appears tailor‑made for them.
Meanwhile, the struggles of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and the mechanical setbacks for Aston Martin add further intrigue to a weekend that promises high drama, strategic battles, and a potential reshuffling of the championship leaderboard as the Hungarian Grand Prix unfolds.